6 Injured after Van Crashes into St. Paul Bar

Six people were injured after a vehicle crashed into a St. Paul bar shortly after midnight on Friday morning, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

An official with the Minnesota State Patrol on scene told 5 EYEWITNESS News the vehicle was being pursued by police when the driver lost control and crashed into The Bulldog on Sixth and Wacouta streets.

The State Patrol says troopers got a call about a van driving erratically by Highway 61 and Interstate 94; a trooper spotted the van exiting from I-94 onto Sixth Street and said it was weaving back and forth on the road.

The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Matthew Damman.

"The pursuit was very short in length – probably less than two blocks," Chris Erickson with the State Patrol said. "As far as the speeds go, that’s still under investigation."

Five people inside the bar and the driver of the vehicle were taken to hospitals, according to the official.

"Before we even knew it, there was a minivan screaming down Sixth Street heading west, and it swerved and smashed into the Bulldog," witness Heather McDougall said. "All I heard was a loud crash; it sounded like a bomb. I saw out of the corner of my eye glass shattering, and I just dove on the floor."